The course had to be cancelled. We are currently checking the possibility of offering the course at a future point in time.
Description/ course objectives:
Experiments have become a very popular method to address questions that are difficult to answer with observational data. They can be used in abstract settings to further our basic understanding of individual choice behavior (e.g. choice under risk, charitable giving, inter-temporal preferences), or behavior in strategic settings (e.g. market games, cooperation games, coordination games). At the same time, researchers increasingly work with governments, firms and NGOs to conduct experiments in the wild. The capacity to ask important causal questions in settings that are immediately relevant to the issue at hand has already made experiments popular also outside of academia, especially for policy design and day-to-day decision making in big firms.
In this course, we will study experiments from the perspective of academic economists conducting research with firms and organizations. We will critically evaluate the promises and challenges of the experimental method for generating knowledge about human behavior and supporting policy decisions. We will discuss research as well as opinion articles on: the role of experiments in causal inference, the ethics of experimentation, how experiments address the empirical problems of internal and external validity, the methodology of designing and conducting experiments, the challenges of going from proof-of-concept studies to policies (th)at scale.
This course will introduce students to core debates that concern the methodology of running social science experiments, will give students the tools to assess the merits of an experimental design and to design their own experiment. Students will exercise and develop their critical skills on the use of evidence-based policy making through experiments.
Literature:
see syllabus
Time & venue:
Please note that this course follows the semester periods at Hertie School.
First session of the course: 04.09.2024
Last session of the course: 27.11.2024
Wednesdays, 12:00-14:00; Hertie School, Friedrichstrasse 180, Room 3.30
Registration:
Please register for the course until 15.08.2024 and for the exam until 15.10.2024 through the Berlin School of Economics website. Students who are not members of the Berlin School of Economics register via email to bsoe.office@hu-berlin.de until the given deadlines.
Exam:
see syllabus
More information can be found in the course syllabus.
